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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Friday, March 29, 2024

New CBS show 'Supergirl' soars in premiere episode

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Melissa Benoist plays the title role in "Supergirl," a new show from CBS that puts a female superhero front and center.

Before the big budget superhero movies of today, live action depictions of superheroes were primarily found in one place: the small screen. For decades, live action superhero television programs populated screens across the country, beginning with "The Adventures of Superman" (1952 - 1958), continuing with "Batman" (1966 - 1968) and culminating with "Wonder Woman" (1975 - 1979). 

For millions of Americans, the advent of Lynda Carter’s Wonder Woman was a watershed moment in American pop culture. Her portrayal of the Amazonian princess transcended the show’s inherent campiness to make a broader statement about women and equality. Perhaps this is why Carter’s portrayal remains so iconic more than 30 years after the end of the show.

The past three decades, however, have not been kind to female superheroes. While there have been attempts to bring female superheroes to both the small and silver screens, most of these television and film projects have either ended in abysmal failure -- see 2002’s “Birds of Prey” and 2004’s “Catwoman” -- or never even made it off the ground due to a lack of support from studios.

CBS’s “Supergirl,” which premiered on Oct. 26, looks to buck this trend and prove once and for all that the female superhero is more than worthy of being the lead in a program. Focusing on the Man of Steel’s lesser-known cousin Kara Zor-El, “Supergirl” stars Melissa Benoist in the titular role. After shunning the use of her powers for many years, Kara is on her way to becoming a full-fledged superhero. 

The pilot of “Supergirl” opens with a brief introduction to Kara’s world. After the destruction of her home planet Krypton, Kara beings to live a near normal life on Earth with an adoptive family. This normalized existence ends quite abruptly, however, when the life of her foster sister is placed in jeopardy, and the situation demands the powers of a superhero.

While the pacing of the pilot can occasionally feel ludicrous, as Kara seemingly becomes a hero within the span of 15 minutes, all is forgiven the moment she puts on the big S -- we cannot help but feel Kara’s optimism and desire to do good in the world.

The show also has a decidedly feminist slant. When Kara’s media mogul boss Cat Grant (Calista Flockhart) -- unaware of her employee's secret identity -- decides to label the new superheroine as Supergirl, Kara decries this antifeminist labeling as “something less than what she is.” Cat quips back that there is nothing wrong with the word "girl" and that if Kara perceives "Supergirl as anything less than excellent [then] isn’t the real problem [her]?” This question points to the sexist associations we have with certain words and serves to reject the kind of problematic thinking many people, including Supergirl herself, are capable of falling into. 

With “Supergirl,” CBS has the chance to place itself at the forefront of Hollywood’s current superhero boom. The superhero genre is undoubtedly a male-dominated one, and CBS has taken an important step forward in developing a superhero show with a woman at the center. The audience, meanwhile, has eaten up this change --“Supergirl” had the largest debut for a fall TV show this year with an audience of 12.9 million. After this success, hopefully now Hollywood and the television networks will be inclined to create superheroes beyond the white, male mold they have stuck to for far too long.

Summary CBS has a hit on its hands with "Supergirl," as the pilot eloquently sets the stage for the telling of Kara Zor-El's story.
4 Stars